oscillate Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. verb be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action
    hover; vacillate; vibrate.
    • He oscillates between accepting the new position and retirement
  2. verb move or swing from side to side regularly
    vibrate.
    • the needle on the meter was oscillating

WordNet

Os"cil*late intransitive verb
Etymology
L. oscillare to swing, fr. oscillum a swing, a little mask or puppet made to be hung from trees and swing in the wind, prob. orig., a little mouth, a dim. from os mouth. See Oral, and cf. Osculate.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Oscillated ; present participle & verbal noun Oscillating
Definitions
  1. To move backward and forward; to vibrate like a pendulum; to swing; to sway.
  2. To vary or fluctuate between fixed limits; to act or move in a fickle or fluctuating manner; to change repeatedly, back and forth.
    The amount of superior families oscillates rather than changes, that is, it fluctuates within fixed limits. Dc Quincey.

Webster 1913